Memorable teachers have a rationale or teaching philosophy that guides them to develop a learning environment that has a lasting impact on many of their students. The characteristics of such a learning environment could take years to refine in the face of many obstacles and negative pressures. Your guiding vision is an essential beacon for growing as a teacher!
How does a teacher develop a durable vision of his or her teaching. You were asked to reflect on what inspired you to teach and begin working on this vision in the first weeks of EDC 430. After observing your CT's classes, you were asked to refine this vision again at the end of the Fall semester. Now that you are a more experienced classroom teacher and are preparing to compete for a science teaching position, it is a good time to reflect on your observations and experiences that occurred over the year and refine and clarify your vision by considering these questions:
What kind of teacher do you want to be? What kind of teacher do you NOT want to be?
What lasting impact do you want have on each of your students?
What are you going to strive to accomplish in your upcoming teaching position?
How will your learning environment express your beliefs about teaching?
To prepare for this task, I have assembled some of your writings and observations along with your current teaching rationale. After considering these past writings, you can refine your rationale by clicking on the little "edit" button on the right side of the last section at the bottom of this page. If it is no longer applicable, you may choose to delete or update your iBrainstorm graphic if it is still at the bottom of your rationale statement.
Teaching Inspiration
Throughout my life, I have thought a great deal about what I want to be in the future and what I would want to do with my life. Academically, I have always done well and I was constantly told that the choices for my future profession were broad. I considered pursuing a career as a doctor, a pharmacist, and an engineer. I finally came to the realization that my true calling was in the field of education. However, this seed did not get planted on its own. I have had a few teachers throughout my educational career and adult role models throughout my life that inspired me to pursue this career and devote my life to teaching.
The first two people that definitely led me to see my true calling were my parents. As a child, I grew up in an environment that consisted entirely of teachers. My mother is a math teacher at Coventry High School, my father is a guidance counselor at Exeter West Greenwich High School, and even my older sister is a science teacher in Franklin Massachusetts. I would always see my parents come home from school and I would listen to the stories of their students and I would see the joy and excitement that they had for the teaching profession. Through their example, I have observed the hard work and dedication that goes into becoming a successful and passionate teacher. I remember asking them hundreds of questions when I was younger about what it was like to be a teacher. They would explain everything to me and even encouraged my to play “school” with my sister and my friends. When I was in elementary school we would set up a small chalkboard and teach each other about different things that we found interesting. I would get so excited about this and I would think about how great it would be to have an entire class of students in front of me. My parents definitely planted (and nurtured) the “seed”. From those experiences I knew that I wanted to be a teacher and I knew that I wanted to dedicate myself to the profession as much as my parents did.
With my parents’ encouragement it was then up to me to decide which subject I would want to teach. I was always an incredibly curious person throughout my youth. I would catch bugs to observe them under a microscope. I would experiment with my bouncy balls and I would be amazed at how certain things worked. I have always been a scientist and science has certainly always intrigued me. However, when I was young I figured that I would become primarily a math teacher just like my mother. It wasn’t until high school that I realized just how much I would love to teach science (in particular physics).
My high school physics teacher Mr. Golas definitely inspired me to become a science teacher. He was different from other science teachers that I had had because he focused so much on applying the physical concepts to the world around us. We performed demonstrations and activities that enabled us to use the concepts and apply them to our own lives. It was then that I realized how broad the subject of science really is and how applicable it is to the world around us. I wanted to become a teacher so that I could lead other students to have this same revelation. Mr. Golas was the teacher who helped me see the beauty of physics and I want to be that teacher for my future students. I also interned with Mr. Golas for a semester during my senior year of high school and I got to observe a lower level physics class. This experience made me realize that not everyone sees the subject the way that I see it. Physics has a bad reputation and many kids come into class with a bad attitude towards the subject. I want to become a teacher to help to change this reputation and show students that physics can be fun and intriguing. I feel as though I can adapt some of Mr. Golas’ teaching techniques and incorporate some of my own to accomplish this. My experience in Mr. Golas’ classroom definitely further nourished the teaching “seed” that had been planted in my youth.
The final person that inspired me to become a teacher is actually not a single teacher but a group of teachers. A group of bad teachers. Throughout my educational career I have had a number of horrible teachers who did not seem to have any sort of passion or excitement about teaching or about the subject matter that they taught. They seemed upset with the system and frustrated with the students and this just led to a horrible learning environment. These experiences inspired me to break this mold and become the ideal teacher that I wish that I had had all throughout my own education. So in a way, negative experiences in my educational career actually made me want to be a teacher even more!
I am excited to start teaching in the coming year and I am thankful for all of the experiences and people throughout my childhood that led me to choose this path in life.
4.5/5 Nice job, David. You could strengthen a bit by filling out your concluding paragraph so that it sums up the inspirations you mention earlier. - fogleman Sep 25, 2011
CT's Teaching Style
Prompt:
During this visit, you should work with one or more groups of students if you haven't already, and observe your teacher doing the same. For this journal entry, describe your teacher's teaching style. What type of relationships with students does he or she nurture in his or her classes? How do students perceive that power is distributed in the classes? Does this vary within or across the different classes the teacher has? Cite examples from your observations to support your inferences. Remember to reflect on what style of teaching you will gravitate toward and the how you want to be perceived by your students.
Observe:
During my observations with Mr. Varden this week I concentrated on observing his relationship with the students in his classes. Mr. Varden has a very professional relationship with all of his students and they all seem to respect him and consider him to be the authority figure within the room. They enter the classroom and greet him and take their seats without acting up. When Mr. Varden begins class everyone quiets down and listens attentively to him. The order within the room is very impressive! Mr. Varden seems to treat all of his students as adults and he values their concerns and allows them to provide input to him about the class. He is always open to talking to students outside of class if they have anything that is bothering them and I think that the students definitely pick up on the genuine sincerity of Mr. Varden's character. He cares about all of them and wants to make sure that they are successful. I did notice however, that the relationship that Mr. Varden shares with his Physics 2 (H, AP) students is much different than the one that he shares with his lower level Physics 1 students. The Physics 2 students have had Mr. Varden for 2 years and they are incredibly comfortable in his classroom. They poke fun at him and share a lot of laughs throughout the class period. Mr. Varden is okay with this because he knows that it does not affect the learning environment and certainly helps the students enjoy an otherwise very challenging course. The Physics 1 students on the other hand are much more orderly. Mr. Varden worked hard to establish a fairly strict environment to attempt to keep everyone on task. He said that from day one he established rules with the class that he strictly enforced and he made sure that they knew not to be disruptive during physics class. It is interesting to see the differences that exist between the two learning environments. Mr. Varden is viewed as more of a friend/ mentor in his Physics 2 class and more of an authority figure in his lower level classes.
I also focused on observing Mr. Varden's specific teaching style throughout his lessons. He uses powerpoint presentations to teach the concepts and then he follows up these presentations with group work and other investigations to help students understand the concepts more fully. During the group work, Mr. Varden and I circulated the classroom and worked with the individual groups to help guide them through the assigned tasks. When assisting small groups, Mr. Varden does not simply provide them with the correct answer but rather he guides them in the correct direction and prevents them from venturing down any dead-end streets. He focuses on developing their problem solving skills and wants them to develop and discover concepts on their own. When working with individuals, Mr. Varden asks probing questions to try to get them to understand the concepts more fully. He also asks questions that will help him gauge how well the students understand the content that is being taught. This allows him to readjust his teaching to make sure that everyone is "up to speed".
Reflect:
As I continue to observe Mr. Varden's teaching, I continue to be impressed with how he runs his classroom. All of his students are very attentive and respectful to him and because of this the class periods are productive and effective. I will definitely attempt to emulate Mr. Varden's teaching style in my future teaching and run my future classroom the way that he runs his. I believe that the teacher-student relationship is built off of a feeling of mutual respect. I don't think that a student will be motivated to learn and be attentive if they don't feel as though they are respected by their teacher. When they are respected and feel as though the teacher is treating them as they would treat an adult, a student will be much more likely to try their hardest and remain well behaved. When a teacher develops a strong relationship with a student the student wants to do well because if nothing else they don't want to disappoint the teacher. Mr. Varden definitely shares similar ideas and principles with regards to how he treats his students. I plan to run my class in a similar fashion and make sure that I include my students in all classroom decisions and make them feel that we are both equal partners in establishing the learning environment within the classroom.
I also very much agree with Mr. Varden's teaching strategies. His classroom is structured and organized and he incorporates hands-on learning to help to facilitate meaningful learning. I believe that students learn best in science by doing things by themselves (or in peer groups) and discovering principles and concepts on their own. I think that they need to make mistakes and get lost sometimes because when they figure out what their mistakes are and find out a way to regain their bearings, the learning will be much more meaningful and ever-lasting. I will incorporate group work and hands-on investigations to supplement the lectures in my future physics classroom in order to provide the students with an opportunity to perform real science and learn things on their own. I can definitely learn a lot from Mr. Varden about this type of inquiry teaching
CT's Classroom Management
Prompt: In this observation, pay attention to how your teacher manages his or her classroom. What types of disruptions, if any, occur while you're visiting? How do they set the class in motion? How do they deal with interruptions (from the outside) and disruptions (from their students)? Determine whether there are students in the classes that you will teach that are especially troublesome. Ask your CT how he or she addresses these students' needs. Reflect on your "vision" of an ideal science classroom. What classroom policies will you try to implement in YOUR classroom? How does your vision align with your teaching philosophy?
Observe:
During my observations with Mr. Varden this week I concentrated on observing the way in which he manages his classroom. Mr. Varden is an excellent disciplinarian. He has established himself as the authority figure in ALL of his classes and his students truly respect him and do not want to upset him. He respects the students as well and he has thus established an adult relationship with all of them. During my visits with Mr. Varden, I have witnessed very few disciplinary issues. The orderliness of his class can be attributed to some of the simple routines that Mr. Varden facilitates every day. Mr. Varden asks that the students enter his classroom each day and quietly work on the daily question that he has already posted on the board at the beginning of each period. Since the students have something to do when they enter the room, they seem to calm down very quickly. They each complete the daily question and put their answer in a jar at the front of the classroom. At the end of the period, Mr. Varden returns to the daily question and chooses student's responses until someone gets the question correct. This student receives an extra credit point. This end of day routine keeps the students in order at the end of the period as well. They are required to remain at their desks while Mr. Varden is drawing names and they can not leave their desks until the bell rings AND Mr. Varden dismisses them. He told me that the simple routine of dismissing students is a constant reminder for them about who is in charge. During class time there are very few distractions and interruptions. Students that need to go to the bathroom take the initiative to walk to the side of the room and sign out (taking a "hall pass" with them). This eliminates the interruption that results when students ask to go to the bathroom. These simple routines definitely help to keep the physics classroom in order and they eliminate interruptions that may occur throughout the course of a given period. I have spent some time during this fall practicum getting to know the students. In doing so, I have an idea about which students could potentially be disruptive to my class when I take over in the spring. There is one student who sits in the back of Mr. Varden's Physics CP class who is constantly talking with his friends. I noticed that Mr. Varden is always involving this student in the discussions in order to keep him focused on the task at hand. There is also a girl in this same class that is constantly taking out her cell phone and texting. Mr. Varden caught her and threatened to send her down to the office if he saw her doing that again. I will keep this students in mind when I take over the class in January. Other than these few students, the majority of the students in Mr. Varden's classes are incredibly well behaved and I am excited to get the opportunity to teach them.
Reflect: Classroom management is certainly my biggest concern as I prepare to student teach in the spring. I fear that the students will not respect me because I am so young looking. Because of this, I want to prepare myself as well as I can with different disciplinary strategies and techniques that will allow me to establish order within my future classroom. I will definitely use some of Mr. Varden's techniques in order to accomplish this. I will establish an adult relationship with all of my students and make sure that they know that I care about them and want them to be successful in my classroom. I want to be a fair teacher with clear expectations so that students are never frustrated with the class assignments. I will also use Mr. Varden's regular daily routines. I think that the daily question is a great way to start and end the day and I also think that the "dismissing the class" strategy is great. Students need to always remember that the teacher is in charge and that's a great way to remind them. They have to remain at their desks after the bell sounds until I verbally dismiss them. I also will use Mr. Varden's bathroom procedure. I think that it is an unnecessary interruption when students raise their hand to ask to go to the bathroom. I will only allow one out at a time (which the hall pass will help establish) but I will not require the students to ask me for permission. I am excited to pick up more of these classroom management techniques from Mr. Varden and I am excited to attempt to implement them on my own in the spring!
Game of School Reflection
Prompt: In The Passionate Teacher, Ron Fried describes the Game of School (GOS) as what happens when teachers and students forsake intellectual work and instead engage in their classes as rituals. Take this opportunity to consider this chapter in light of some of the the other experiences that you've had this semester. What elements of the game of school are you seeing in your placements? How have you seen teachers fight the game of school in their classes? What similarities, if any, did you see between the descriptions of American classes in the Teaching Gap and the Game of School? Finally, what impact will this description of the GOS have on your own approach to teaching as expressed in your teaching philosophy
Observe: During the course of this semester, I have been given the opportunity to observe several different high school mathematics and physics classrooms. During this time I have certainly witnessed the "Game of School" all around me. The game permeates throughout most of the school (and this is how it is for the majority of schools) and I can definitely see aspects of it in all of the classes that I have observed. The players of this game include both the students and the teachers. I'll start by recounting what I have witnessed with the students. I've seen students who are not paying attention and who are simply trying to do the least amount of work in order to get by. I've heard students talking to each other about determining how hard they should study in order to get a certain grade. I've also watched as students constantly check the time throughout class, waiting and wishing for the bell to ring so that they can be dismissed and move on the the next class in which they will act in a similar fashion. Some students seem to think that school is simply something that they are forced to do and they are looking to just get on with it. I've seen students try to persuade their teachers to give them less work and offer them extra credit so that they won't have to work as hard for a given grade. A lot of things that students do in the classroom has to do with "getting by". The same can be said about the teachers (not Mr. Varden and Mrs. Livingston however). I've witnessed teachers in the lunch room talking about how much the dislike their classes. They talk about how they watch the clock and can't wait for the bell because they can't stand the students. I've seen them use worksheets from textbooks without ever looking over the worksheets ahead of time to ensure that it aligns with their curriculum. This enables them to put less effort into preparing for class. I've also seen teachers simply show an unrelated video to their class to "kill" class time and make the day go by faster. The elements that I witnessed at Westerly high school for both the teachers and the students are very similar to those discussed in the article that we read at the beginning of the semester. All of these aspects of the "Game of School" I have witnessed around me but I have also witnessed teachers attempting to battle the GOS. Mr. Varden tries to break students of the mindset of "let's get it done and get on with it". He stresses the importance of understanding the material and understanding why the material is useful to them and to their lives. Mr. Varden prepares well for each and every class period and tries to keep the lesson interesting and keep his students engaged. He incorporates mini labs and group work so that the students can engage in hands-on and cooperative learning experiences. He tries to make the lessons engaging enough that the students won't want to constantly check the clock. Mr. Varden also does not give tests that are worth a ton of points. He doesn't want to pressure the students and cause stressful situations so he assesses them constantly so that each assessment is not a do or die situation. This helps the students to be not overly concerned with their grades. These methods seem to work because the students seem to be truly engaged in the lessons and they don't seem to be thinking about "getting on with it"
Reflect: As I prepare to step in front of my own classes in the future, I will make a conscious effort to recognize elements of the "Game of School" around me. I think that if teachers are conscious of this it is easier for them to mend the situation and create a more effective learning environment. From the very beginning I will stress to my students that I care about helping them understand and enjoy the subject of physics. I want to help them come to see the subject the way that I do and appreciate the practicality and usefulness of the concepts. I will implement similar strategies to Mr. Varden and I will attempt to eliminate stressful situations in my classroom. I don't want to give any high stakes examinations but rather I want to give constant mini assessments that will allow me to gauge how much my students truly understand the material. By doing this I will help the realize that the grade that they receive is not the important part of school. I will also strive to make my lessons engaging and meaningful which will help the students forget about the GOS and become consumed in the topic of the lesson. I am excited to battle the GOS in the future and create a learning environment that is truly free of all aspects of this game!
Rules of Engagement
What do your rules say about you?
When I am a full-time teacher I will most likely not "post" rules around my classroom. I don't feel as though posting rules in a classroom is an effective way to manage and control the class. Istink that most of these rules are so incredibly obvious and students should know already that they shouldn't act in that manner. The main rules that I will enforce when I am a teacher include making sure that the students are attentive, respectful, and that they try their hardest. I want to create an environment where students don'tthreat afraid to try their hardest, take chances, and go out on a limb.
I agree with many of the guidelines for student engagement that we're presented in the blog. By relating material to students lives, challenging them in class, and allowing students to work together towards a common goal they will be much more likely to try their hardest and be engaged in class.
In order to engage my students I try my best to create lessons that include several different sections. I feel as though if students do one thing for too long they will getboarded very easily. I like to change it up, keep them on their feet, and try to keep them motivated during each segment of the class. I also try to be as enthusiastic and engaging as possible when I aminstructions them.
Good points. Am I correct in thinking that you connect Ss "trying their hardest" with the nature of the assignments they get? (Sidenote: Try to cultivate the habit of eliminating typos!) - fogleman
Revise YOUR TEACHING RATIONALE BY CLICKING ON THE EDIT BUTTON BELOW
Ever since I decided that I wanted to become a teacher I have put a great deal of thought into the type of teacher that I want to become. By this I mean that I have gradually formulated my own teaching philosophy. By incorporating certain characteristics and strategies from teachers that I have had throughout my education career as well as my own ideas about teaching, I have developed an image in my mind of who I want to be as a teacher and how I want to teach. I have thought long and hard about the major principles and ideas that will be central to this philosophy. This is an incredibly important idea to consider as I am coming closer and closer to entering the teaching profession and beginning my career. My teaching philosophy in many ways can be viewed as a "wall" in which the first row of bricks are the fundamental goals of my teaching, the second row involves the enjoyment of my students, and the third refers to the skills that I hope for all of my students to master.
My teaching philosophy begins with the basic principles that I feel are fundamental to any successful science classroom and this forms the foundation on which all other learning is built. Primarily, I want to ensure that all of my students know how science relates to the real world as well as to their own lives. This helps them recognize the importance of the subject matter and the breadth of what they are learning. Many times science classrooms seem disconnected from "real" science and I want to bridge this gap. To do this I will incorporate inquiry based learning and other hands-on investigations to simulate for my students how science works and how scientists develop procedures to find out more about this confusing world that we live in. I will have them engage in the scientific process from the very beginning "planning" stages to the actual investigation. They will come to see how much there still is to learn about the world. I will also incorporate current scientific issues that are occuring in the real world. I want to bring in newspaper and journal articles to demonstrate to the students that science is ever changing and that new theories are being developed even today.
This segues nicely into the next principle that helps to form the foundation of my philosophy. I want to focus on helping my students become curious, lifelong learners. Many students lack the motivation and desire to learn and I want to reignite the curiosity that they once had as children exploring the world around them. I want to show them how rewarding learning can be and how the process of learning is never-ending. To do this I will base my classes around the group of students that I have for that given year. I won't simply use the same instructional materials year after year but rather I'll adapt my curriculum to make sure that all of my students are excited about learning science. I will pose interesting questions for them to ponder and attempt to spark their curiosity. I will also model this "curious learner" behavior by being curious myself. I will show them that I am far from being done with learning and that there are many things in this world that I am curious about and want to find out more about. I also want them to realize that learning is not something that is just done within the confines of their school but it happens each and every day. These ideas and principles are entirely central to my philosophy of teaching.
With that being said, my next priority is ensuring that my students enjoy being in my class. I want them to be excited about coming to physics class and learning about why things in this world happen the way that they do. I want all of my students to discover the beauty of physics and come to share my passion for the subject. I will accomplish this by incorporating a great deal of hands-on, real world, and inquiry based activities that will keep my students be engaged in each and every lesson. I don’t want to resort to direct-instruction for every lesson and I want to be sure to differentiate my instruction on a regular basis. I will incorporate group work, independent investigations, class challenges, outdoor physics activities as well as other traditional lessons into my teaching. In this way my lessons will be beneficial for the visual learners, the kinesthetic learners, and all other types of learners that I may see within my classroom. I will also create a learning environment that is not stressful for my students. I don't want them to feel pressured in my class or competitive with one another. I want them to feel as though they can take chances and risks in my classroom without fear of failing. This will help them enjoy their experience more fully. I also feel that student enjoyment is directly related to teacher enjoyment. For this reason I want to make sure that my students know that I am extremely passionate about the subject of physics and about teaching. I don’t think that students can learn from a teacher who is not excited about the subject that they are teaching and so I want to make sure that I let my passion and excitement shine through. This should not be a problem for me because of the genuine passion that I truly have for teaching physics.
Finally, beyond making sure that my students enjoy learning in my classroom there are several important skills that I would like for each and every student to develop. I want to make sure that my students develop problem solving and critical thinking skills. I am less concerned with their memorization of facts than with their development of skills. 10 years after taking my class most students won’t be able to recall certain definitions but I want them to be able to remember the problem solving strategies that they fully developed as my students. To help them develop these skills I will challenge them! I will present problems for them to solve on their own or in groups that will certainly lead them into a state of disequilibrium. They may feel lost and frustrated but I will make sure that the task is within their zone of proximal development. They will have to use their problem solving skills to "find their way out" and figure out how to solve the problem. Without challenging my students I wouldn't be giving them any opportunities to truly grow as intellectuals. I also want my students to learn to work together and use one another as resources for learning and growing intellectually. People work together on a regular basis in the real world and I think that it is important for students to learn to collaborate with one another. When they eventually start a career, these skills will be very helpful for them to have. I also want to teach my students to be organized learners. In order to do this I will teach them study skills and will model proper organizational strategies. I want to be an incredibly organized teacher and I want all of my students to model after me.
These ideas and principles all come together to form my overall teaching philosophy. My first concern is making sure that all of my students understand how science relates to their own lives and eventually become curious learners who are excited to learn. My next priority is creating a learning environment in which my students enjoy being in. The final priority that I have as a teacher is ensuring the my students develop problem solving and interpersonal skills. If I can develop a class full of students who clearly see where science fits in to the real world and are curious to learn more and broaden there horizons then I will feel as though I was successful. Becoming a lifelong learner who actually wants to learn is far more important than memorizing specific facts for a given class. I want them to leave my class with more than just a set of skills; I want them to leave with a new intrinsic motivation to grow intellectually and become successful members of our society. I am very excited to become a teacher and implement these strategies within my future classroom!
Rationale Synthesis
Memorable teachers have a rationale or teaching philosophy that guides them to develop a learning environment that has a lasting impact on many of their students. The characteristics of such a learning environment could take years to refine in the face of many obstacles and negative pressures. Your guiding vision is an essential beacon for growing as a teacher!
How does a teacher develop a durable vision of his or her teaching. You were asked to reflect on what inspired you to teach and begin working on this vision in the first weeks of EDC 430. After observing your CT's classes, you were asked to refine this vision again at the end of the Fall semester. Now that you are a more experienced classroom teacher and are preparing to compete for a science teaching position, it is a good time to reflect on your observations and experiences that occurred over the year and refine and clarify your vision by considering these questions:
To prepare for this task, I have assembled some of your writings and observations along with your current teaching rationale. After considering these past writings, you can refine your rationale by clicking on the little "edit" button on the right side of the last section at the bottom of this page. If it is no longer applicable, you may choose to delete or update your iBrainstorm graphic if it is still at the bottom of your rationale statement.
The first two people that definitely led me to see my true calling were my parents. As a child, I grew up in an environment that consisted entirely of teachers. My mother is a math teacher at Coventry High School, my father is a guidance counselor at Exeter West Greenwich High School, and even my older sister is a science teacher in Franklin Massachusetts. I would always see my parents come home from school and I would listen to the stories of their students and I would see the joy and excitement that they had for the teaching profession. Through their example, I have observed the hard work and dedication that goes into becoming a successful and passionate teacher. I remember asking them hundreds of questions when I was younger about what it was like to be a teacher. They would explain everything to me and even encouraged my to play “school” with my sister and my friends. When I was in elementary school we would set up a small chalkboard and teach each other about different things that we found interesting. I would get so excited about this and I would think about how great it would be to have an entire class of students in front of me. My parents definitely planted (and nurtured) the “seed”. From those experiences I knew that I wanted to be a teacher and I knew that I wanted to dedicate myself to the profession as much as my parents did.
With my parents’ encouragement it was then up to me to decide which subject I would want to teach. I was always an incredibly curious person throughout my youth. I would catch bugs to observe them under a microscope. I would experiment with my bouncy balls and I would be amazed at how certain things worked. I have always been a scientist and science has certainly always intrigued me. However, when I was young I figured that I would become primarily a math teacher just like my mother. It wasn’t until high school that I realized just how much I would love to teach science (in particular physics).
My high school physics teacher Mr. Golas definitely inspired me to become a science teacher. He was different from other science teachers that I had had because he focused so much on applying the physical concepts to the world around us. We performed demonstrations and activities that enabled us to use the concepts and apply them to our own lives. It was then that I realized how broad the subject of science really is and how applicable it is to the world around us. I wanted to become a teacher so that I could lead other students to have this same revelation. Mr. Golas was the teacher who helped me see the beauty of physics and I want to be that teacher for my future students. I also interned with Mr. Golas for a semester during my senior year of high school and I got to observe a lower level physics class. This experience made me realize that not everyone sees the subject the way that I see it. Physics has a bad reputation and many kids come into class with a bad attitude towards the subject. I want to become a teacher to help to change this reputation and show students that physics can be fun and intriguing. I feel as though I can adapt some of Mr. Golas’ teaching techniques and incorporate some of my own to accomplish this. My experience in Mr. Golas’ classroom definitely further nourished the teaching “seed” that had been planted in my youth.
The final person that inspired me to become a teacher is actually not a single teacher but a group of teachers. A group of bad teachers. Throughout my educational career I have had a number of horrible teachers who did not seem to have any sort of passion or excitement about teaching or about the subject matter that they taught. They seemed upset with the system and frustrated with the students and this just led to a horrible learning environment. These experiences inspired me to break this mold and become the ideal teacher that I wish that I had had all throughout my own education. So in a way, negative experiences in my educational career actually made me want to be a teacher even more!
I am excited to start teaching in the coming year and I am thankful for all of the experiences and people throughout my childhood that led me to choose this path in life.
4.5/5 Nice job, David. You could strengthen a bit by filling out your concluding paragraph so that it sums up the inspirations you mention earlier. -
During this visit, you should work with one or more groups of students if you haven't already, and observe your teacher doing the same. For this journal entry, describe your teacher's teaching style. What type of relationships with students does he or she nurture in his or her classes? How do students perceive that power is distributed in the classes? Does this vary within or across the different classes the teacher has? Cite examples from your observations to support your inferences. Remember to reflect on what style of teaching you will gravitate toward and the how you want to be perceived by your students.
Observe:
During my observations with Mr. Varden this week I concentrated on observing his relationship with the students in his classes. Mr. Varden has a very professional relationship with all of his students and they all seem to respect him and consider him to be the authority figure within the room. They enter the classroom and greet him and take their seats without acting up. When Mr. Varden begins class everyone quiets down and listens attentively to him. The order within the room is very impressive! Mr. Varden seems to treat all of his students as adults and he values their concerns and allows them to provide input to him about the class. He is always open to talking to students outside of class if they have anything that is bothering them and I think that the students definitely pick up on the genuine sincerity of Mr. Varden's character. He cares about all of them and wants to make sure that they are successful. I did notice however, that the relationship that Mr. Varden shares with his Physics 2 (H, AP) students is much different than the one that he shares with his lower level Physics 1 students. The Physics 2 students have had Mr. Varden for 2 years and they are incredibly comfortable in his classroom. They poke fun at him and share a lot of laughs throughout the class period. Mr. Varden is okay with this because he knows that it does not affect the learning environment and certainly helps the students enjoy an otherwise very challenging course. The Physics 1 students on the other hand are much more orderly. Mr. Varden worked hard to establish a fairly strict environment to attempt to keep everyone on task. He said that from day one he established rules with the class that he strictly enforced and he made sure that they knew not to be disruptive during physics class. It is interesting to see the differences that exist between the two learning environments. Mr. Varden is viewed as more of a friend/ mentor in his Physics 2 class and more of an authority figure in his lower level classes.
I also focused on observing Mr. Varden's specific teaching style throughout his lessons. He uses powerpoint presentations to teach the concepts and then he follows up these presentations with group work and other investigations to help students understand the concepts more fully. During the group work, Mr. Varden and I circulated the classroom and worked with the individual groups to help guide them through the assigned tasks. When assisting small groups, Mr. Varden does not simply provide them with the correct answer but rather he guides them in the correct direction and prevents them from venturing down any dead-end streets. He focuses on developing their problem solving skills and wants them to develop and discover concepts on their own. When working with individuals, Mr. Varden asks probing questions to try to get them to understand the concepts more fully. He also asks questions that will help him gauge how well the students understand the content that is being taught. This allows him to readjust his teaching to make sure that everyone is "up to speed".
Reflect:
As I continue to observe Mr. Varden's teaching, I continue to be impressed with how he runs his classroom. All of his students are very attentive and respectful to him and because of this the class periods are productive and effective. I will definitely attempt to emulate Mr. Varden's teaching style in my future teaching and run my future classroom the way that he runs his. I believe that the teacher-student relationship is built off of a feeling of mutual respect. I don't think that a student will be motivated to learn and be attentive if they don't feel as though they are respected by their teacher. When they are respected and feel as though the teacher is treating them as they would treat an adult, a student will be much more likely to try their hardest and remain well behaved. When a teacher develops a strong relationship with a student the student wants to do well because if nothing else they don't want to disappoint the teacher. Mr. Varden definitely shares similar ideas and principles with regards to how he treats his students. I plan to run my class in a similar fashion and make sure that I include my students in all classroom decisions and make them feel that we are both equal partners in establishing the learning environment within the classroom.
I also very much agree with Mr. Varden's teaching strategies. His classroom is structured and organized and he incorporates hands-on learning to help to facilitate meaningful learning. I believe that students learn best in science by doing things by themselves (or in peer groups) and discovering principles and concepts on their own. I think that they need to make mistakes and get lost sometimes because when they figure out what their mistakes are and find out a way to regain their bearings, the learning will be much more meaningful and ever-lasting. I will incorporate group work and hands-on investigations to supplement the lectures in my future physics classroom in order to provide the students with an opportunity to perform real science and learn things on their own. I can definitely learn a lot from Mr. Varden about this type of inquiry teaching
Observe:
During my observations with Mr. Varden this week I concentrated on observing the way in which he manages his classroom. Mr. Varden is an excellent disciplinarian. He has established himself as the authority figure in ALL of his classes and his students truly respect him and do not want to upset him. He respects the students as well and he has thus established an adult relationship with all of them. During my visits with Mr. Varden, I have witnessed very few disciplinary issues. The orderliness of his class can be attributed to some of the simple routines that Mr. Varden facilitates every day. Mr. Varden asks that the students enter his classroom each day and quietly work on the daily question that he has already posted on the board at the beginning of each period. Since the students have something to do when they enter the room, they seem to calm down very quickly. They each complete the daily question and put their answer in a jar at the front of the classroom. At the end of the period, Mr. Varden returns to the daily question and chooses student's responses until someone gets the question correct. This student receives an extra credit point. This end of day routine keeps the students in order at the end of the period as well. They are required to remain at their desks while Mr. Varden is drawing names and they can not leave their desks until the bell rings AND Mr. Varden dismisses them. He told me that the simple routine of dismissing students is a constant reminder for them about who is in charge. During class time there are very few distractions and interruptions. Students that need to go to the bathroom take the initiative to walk to the side of the room and sign out (taking a "hall pass" with them). This eliminates the interruption that results when students ask to go to the bathroom. These simple routines definitely help to keep the physics classroom in order and they eliminate interruptions that may occur throughout the course of a given period.
I have spent some time during this fall practicum getting to know the students. In doing so, I have an idea about which students could potentially be disruptive to my class when I take over in the spring. There is one student who sits in the back of Mr. Varden's Physics CP class who is constantly talking with his friends. I noticed that Mr. Varden is always involving this student in the discussions in order to keep him focused on the task at hand. There is also a girl in this same class that is constantly taking out her cell phone and texting. Mr. Varden caught her and threatened to send her down to the office if he saw her doing that again. I will keep this students in mind when I take over the class in January. Other than these few students, the majority of the students in Mr. Varden's classes are incredibly well behaved and I am excited to get the opportunity to teach them.
Reflect:
Classroom management is certainly my biggest concern as I prepare to student teach in the spring. I fear that the students will not respect me because I am so young looking. Because of this, I want to prepare myself as well as I can with different disciplinary strategies and techniques that will allow me to establish order within my future classroom. I will definitely use some of Mr. Varden's techniques in order to accomplish this. I will establish an adult relationship with all of my students and make sure that they know that I care about them and want them to be successful in my classroom. I want to be a fair teacher with clear expectations so that students are never frustrated with the class assignments. I will also use Mr. Varden's regular daily routines. I think that the daily question is a great way to start and end the day and I also think that the "dismissing the class" strategy is great. Students need to always remember that the teacher is in charge and that's a great way to remind them. They have to remain at their desks after the bell sounds until I verbally dismiss them. I also will use Mr. Varden's bathroom procedure. I think that it is an unnecessary interruption when students raise their hand to ask to go to the bathroom. I will only allow one out at a time (which the hall pass will help establish) but I will not require the students to ask me for permission. I am excited to pick up more of these classroom management techniques from Mr. Varden and I am excited to attempt to implement them on my own in the spring!
Observe:
During the course of this semester, I have been given the opportunity to observe several different high school mathematics and physics classrooms. During this time I have certainly witnessed the "Game of School" all around me. The game permeates throughout most of the school (and this is how it is for the majority of schools) and I can definitely see aspects of it in all of the classes that I have observed. The players of this game include both the students and the teachers. I'll start by recounting what I have witnessed with the students.
I've seen students who are not paying attention and who are simply trying to do the least amount of work in order to get by. I've heard students talking to each other about determining how hard they should study in order to get a certain grade. I've also watched as students constantly check the time throughout class, waiting and wishing for the bell to ring so that they can be dismissed and move on the the next class in which they will act in a similar fashion. Some students seem to think that school is simply something that they are forced to do and they are looking to just get on with it. I've seen students try to persuade their teachers to give them less work and offer them extra credit so that they won't have to work as hard for a given grade. A lot of things that students do in the classroom has to do with "getting by".
The same can be said about the teachers (not Mr. Varden and Mrs. Livingston however). I've witnessed teachers in the lunch room talking about how much the dislike their classes. They talk about how they watch the clock and can't wait for the bell because they can't stand the students. I've seen them use worksheets from textbooks without ever looking over the worksheets ahead of time to ensure that it aligns with their curriculum. This enables them to put less effort into preparing for class. I've also seen teachers simply show an unrelated video to their class to "kill" class time and make the day go by faster. The elements that I witnessed at Westerly high school for both the teachers and the students are very similar to those discussed in the article that we read at the beginning of the semester.
All of these aspects of the "Game of School" I have witnessed around me but I have also witnessed teachers attempting to battle the GOS. Mr. Varden tries to break students of the mindset of "let's get it done and get on with it". He stresses the importance of understanding the material and understanding why the material is useful to them and to their lives. Mr. Varden prepares well for each and every class period and tries to keep the lesson interesting and keep his students engaged. He incorporates mini labs and group work so that the students can engage in hands-on and cooperative learning experiences. He tries to make the lessons engaging enough that the students won't want to constantly check the clock. Mr. Varden also does not give tests that are worth a ton of points. He doesn't want to pressure the students and cause stressful situations so he assesses them constantly so that each assessment is not a do or die situation. This helps the students to be not overly concerned with their grades. These methods seem to work because the students seem to be truly engaged in the lessons and they don't seem to be thinking about "getting on with it"
Reflect:
As I prepare to step in front of my own classes in the future, I will make a conscious effort to recognize elements of the "Game of School" around me. I think that if teachers are conscious of this it is easier for them to mend the situation and create a more effective learning environment. From the very beginning I will stress to my students that I care about helping them understand and enjoy the subject of physics. I want to help them come to see the subject the way that I do and appreciate the practicality and usefulness of the concepts. I will implement similar strategies to Mr. Varden and I will attempt to eliminate stressful situations in my classroom. I don't want to give any high stakes examinations but rather I want to give constant mini assessments that will allow me to gauge how much my students truly understand the material. By doing this I will help the realize that the grade that they receive is not the important part of school. I will also strive to make my lessons engaging and meaningful which will help the students forget about the GOS and become consumed in the topic of the lesson.
I am excited to battle the GOS in the future and create a learning environment that is truly free of all aspects of this game!
- When I am a full-time teacher I will most likely not "post" rules around my classroom. I don't feel as though posting rules in a classroom is an effective way to manage and control the class. Istink that most of these rules are so incredibly obvious and students should know already that they shouldn't act in that manner. The main rules that I will enforce when I am a teacher include making sure that the students are attentive, respectful, and that they try their hardest. I want to create an environment where students don'tthreat afraid to try their hardest, take chances, and go out on a limb.
- I agree with many of the guidelines for student engagement that we're presented in the blog. By relating material to students lives, challenging them in class, and allowing students to work together towards a common goal they will be much more likely to try their hardest and be engaged in class.
- In order to engage my students I try my best to create lessons that include several different sections. I feel as though if students do one thing for too long they will getboarded very easily. I like to change it up, keep them on their feet, and try to keep them motivated during each segment of the class. I also try to be as enthusiastic and engaging as possible when I aminstructions them.
Good points. Am I correct in thinking that you connect Ss "trying their hardest" with the nature of the assignments they get? (Sidenote: Try to cultivate the habit of eliminating typos!) -Revise YOUR TEACHING RATIONALE BY CLICKING ON THE EDIT BUTTON BELOW
My teaching philosophy begins with the basic principles that I feel are fundamental to any successful science classroom and this forms the foundation on which all other learning is built. Primarily, I want to ensure that all of my students know how science relates to the real world as well as to their own lives. This helps them recognize the importance of the subject matter and the breadth of what they are learning. Many times science classrooms seem disconnected from "real" science and I want to bridge this gap. To do this I will incorporate inquiry based learning and other hands-on investigations to simulate for my students how science works and how scientists develop procedures to find out more about this confusing world that we live in. I will have them engage in the scientific process from the very beginning "planning" stages to the actual investigation. They will come to see how much there still is to learn about the world. I will also incorporate current scientific issues that are occuring in the real world. I want to bring in newspaper and journal articles to demonstrate to the students that science is ever changing and that new theories are being developed even today.
This segues nicely into the next principle that helps to form the foundation of my philosophy. I want to focus on helping my students become curious, lifelong learners. Many students lack the motivation and desire to learn and I want to reignite the curiosity that they once had as children exploring the world around them. I want to show them how rewarding learning can be and how the process of learning is never-ending. To do this I will base my classes around the group of students that I have for that given year. I won't simply use the same instructional materials year after year but rather I'll adapt my curriculum to make sure that all of my students are excited about learning science. I will pose interesting questions for them to ponder and attempt to spark their curiosity. I will also model this "curious learner" behavior by being curious myself. I will show them that I am far from being done with learning and that there are many things in this world that I am curious about and want to find out more about. I also want them to realize that learning is not something that is just done within the confines of their school but it happens each and every day. These ideas and principles are entirely central to my philosophy of teaching.
With that being said, my next priority is ensuring that my students enjoy being in my class. I want them to be excited about coming to physics class and learning about why things in this world happen the way that they do. I want all of my students to discover the beauty of physics and come to share my passion for the subject. I will accomplish this by incorporating a great deal of hands-on, real world, and inquiry based activities that will keep my students be engaged in each and every lesson. I don’t want to resort to direct-instruction for every lesson and I want to be sure to differentiate my instruction on a regular basis. I will incorporate group work, independent investigations, class challenges, outdoor physics activities as well as other traditional lessons into my teaching. In this way my lessons will be beneficial for the visual learners, the kinesthetic learners, and all other types of learners that I may see within my classroom. I will also create a learning environment that is not stressful for my students. I don't want them to feel pressured in my class or competitive with one another. I want them to feel as though they can take chances and risks in my classroom without fear of failing. This will help them enjoy their experience more fully. I also feel that student enjoyment is directly related to teacher enjoyment. For this reason I want to make sure that my students know that I am extremely passionate about the subject of physics and about teaching. I don’t think that students can learn from a teacher who is not excited about the subject that they are teaching and so I want to make sure that I let my passion and excitement shine through. This should not be a problem for me because of the genuine passion that I truly have for teaching physics.
Finally, beyond making sure that my students enjoy learning in my classroom there are several important skills that I would like for each and every student to develop. I want to make sure that my students develop problem solving and critical thinking skills. I am less concerned with their memorization of facts than with their development of skills. 10 years after taking my class most students won’t be able to recall certain definitions but I want them to be able to remember the problem solving strategies that they fully developed as my students. To help them develop these skills I will challenge them! I will present problems for them to solve on their own or in groups that will certainly lead them into a state of disequilibrium. They may feel lost and frustrated but I will make sure that the task is within their zone of proximal development. They will have to use their problem solving skills to "find their way out" and figure out how to solve the problem. Without challenging my students I wouldn't be giving them any opportunities to truly grow as intellectuals. I also want my students to learn to work together and use one another as resources for learning and growing intellectually. People work together on a regular basis in the real world and I think that it is important for students to learn to collaborate with one another. When they eventually start a career, these skills will be very helpful for them to have. I also want to teach my students to be organized learners. In order to do this I will teach them study skills and will model proper organizational strategies. I want to be an incredibly organized teacher and I want all of my students to model after me.
These ideas and principles all come together to form my overall teaching philosophy. My first concern is making sure that all of my students understand how science relates to their own lives and eventually become curious learners who are excited to learn. My next priority is creating a learning environment in which my students enjoy being in. The final priority that I have as a teacher is ensuring the my students develop problem solving and interpersonal skills. If I can develop a class full of students who clearly see where science fits in to the real world and are curious to learn more and broaden there horizons then I will feel as though I was successful. Becoming a lifelong learner who actually wants to learn is far more important than memorizing specific facts for a given class. I want them to leave my class with more than just a set of skills; I want them to leave with a new intrinsic motivation to grow intellectually and become successful members of our society. I am very excited to become a teacher and implement these strategies within my future classroom!